thedevelopingplot

This week the Homesown stall will be back at SOFACOMA Market in South Oxford with lots of healthy plants and beautiful, local, seasonal flowers. Everything we grow is raised in peat free compost with an organic approach. No deliveries this weekend, but plants and flowers can be pre-ordered for pick up at the Market between 10.00 am and midday.

Deliveries are available from Tuesday, 23rd May within 5 miles of Oxford and a minimum order of £10.

Email any orders and queries to: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flowers

The tulips are over, but the ranunculus are flowering in a range of rich colours along with geums, astrantia and hesperis. Other cottage garden lovelies such as cornflowers, anemones, lupins and aquilegia will also be in the mix of this week’s bunches and bouquets along with the starry globes of alliums.

A jam jar of flowers: starts at £6.50

A pickle jar of flowers: £10

Market bunches: £10 – £15

A vase of gift wrapped flowers: starts at £20

For bespoke flowers, please email me.

Tomatoes

The last week for tomato plants in case you have a space left.

Although the temperature has still been a little low some nights, it looks like the danger of frost has gone. The tomato plants have put on a lot of growth and have been hardened off – their first flowers are starting to appear. This is the best time to plant them. Then they will need regular watering and weekly feeds with either seaweed solution or tomato feed. All tomatoes enjoy sun and can be grown in the ground or in containers in a greenhouse or outdoors in a warm spot. All the varieties below are of the indeterminate kind which means they need support (tying into a support such as a bamboo cane) and to have their side shoots removed as they appear. This may seem a lot of bother, but it is worth it for the delicious taste of a home grown tomato.

Varieties – each £1.50 a 7cm/9cm/11cm pot & £2.00 for those in a 1 litre pot

Primabella: an excellent late variety cherry tomato which is suited to growing outside. It is blight resistant and keeps flowering late into the season. It also has a delicious flavour.

Cocktail Crush:  an excellent UK bred, blight resistant tomato. It produces a heavy crop of cocktail sized tomatoes with a sweet flavour and an slightly acid tang. It is suitable for growing in unheated greenhouses, outdoors or in containers.

Sungold: an absolutely delicious yellow-orange cherry tomato which is very sweet. An all time favourite which can be grown inside under cover or outside.

Gardener’s Delight: another all time, favourite cherry tomato.  Trouble-free and prolific with long trusses of richly-flavoured sweet red fruits, it is reliable and easy to grow.

Stupicke Polni Rane: is an early medium sized red tomato with a wonderful flavour. The potato-leaf plants bear large numbers of very sweet, 2 to 3-inch, deep red fruit. Originally from the Czech Republic, it does well both outdoors and in greenhouses (heated and unheated). It has good blight resistance which is particularly important if growing outdoors.

Black Russian: one of the very best flavoured tomatoes and perhaps my favourite of all (though it is impossible really to pick). It is a large tomato which can be grown in a greenhouse or outdoors. It produces large, ribbed, beefsteak tomatoes with deep red and purple skin and flesh which tastes superb. Highly recommended.

Courgettes

These are now big plants which are ready to be planted out.

Courgette Romanesco: a delicious courgette with excellent texture which never turns watery, even when quite large. A reliable variety which produces a generous number of courgettes. £1.50 for 9cm/11cm pot

Courgette Soleil: a golden yellow variety with excellent flavour. Pick when the fruit are quite small when they can be eaten either cooked or raw. £1.50

Hardy & Half Hardy Annuals

Cerinthe Major: a lovely unfussy plant which gently self seeds – once planted it will come back again and again. A pretty filler in the border and the vase, its purple bell-like flowers are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. It has attractive silver grey/green leaves which often have a blue wash. It flowers early and long and can grow up to 18 inches. Space plants between 9 & 12 ins apart. They enjoy sun, but do well in almost any position apart from deep shade. £1.25 a 7cm pot; 1.50 a 9cm pot

Nasturtium Black Velvet: a sumptuous, richly dark flowered nasturtium which is great for containers or towards the front of a border. This is a half hardy annual which has been hardened off, but does still protection from frost. It can grow up to 12 inches and has a slightly trailing habit. As well as being beautiful, it is also edible and its flowers and leaves make a delicious (and pretty) addition to salads. £1.25 a 7cm pot.

Cosmos Purity: Large, open flowers of pure white, with delicate apple-green foliage. The classic cut flower and a very lovely garden plant, which can grow up to 4′ and will keep flowering until the first frosts if picked or dead headed. It is a wonderful cut flower. £1.50 a 9cm pot

Cosmos Double Click Cranberries: a beautiful cherry coloured cosmos with ruffled petals. It can grow up to 3′ and will keep going until the first frosts. It enjoys sun. Might benefit from staking as gets taller. Cosmos offer a plentiful supply of nectar and pollen and are brilliant for a wildlife friendly garden. £1.50 a 9cm pot

Scabiosa Black Knight: a truly lovely plant which has very attractive lime green buds and glamorous rich dark burgundy flowers followed by amazing seed heads. It is an excellent cut flower as it is easy to grow and produces masses of flowers for cutting. This also makes it a great and reliable addition to a cottage garden. £1.25 a 7cm pot

Perennials

A sample of some of the plants coming to market this week:

Geums: Mai Tai and Lady Strathleden: long flowering,  clump-forming, herbaceous perennials which produce an abundance of upward and outward facing, flowers from late Spring to Autumn. Borne in branched sprays, they rise well above the healthy mound of deep green, slightly fuzzy leaves. Loved by pollinators and a wonderful bullet proof plant, it tolerates part shade and flourishes in the clay soil in my garden. £3.50 a 1 litre pot; £6.50 a 2 litre pot

Gaura Summer Breeze: delicate blooms open from pink buds into beautiful wafty spikes of beautiful 4-petalled flowers. Very attractive for cutting and also appreciated by bees, they flower abundantly the first year and continue over a long season. Despite their delicate appearance, Gaura are in fact very robust plants; they are particularly good in hot temperatures and are very drought resistant. They enjoy sun and a sheltered spot, but this variety is robust and suited to British weather. Grows up to around 3′ andneeds little care. Cut down in April.

My greenhouse is full of small, healthy tomato plants, courgettes filling their pots and a crowd of half hardy annuals for Summer colour. They are part of the April and early May shuffle which involves taking them outside and then carrying them back in so they are gradually hardened off. Permanently outside there are hardy perennials and annuals completely used to the fluctuating temperatures and ready to plant in the garden or containers.

This Sunday, there will be plants and flowers available at Wolvercote Sunday Market in The White Hart Community Pub. You can pre-order for pick up at the market between 10.00am and midday; alternatively, orders of £10 or over can be delivered within 5 miles of Oxford. Deliveries will be on Saturday 29th only this week, apart from local Wolvercote deliveries which can be done on Sunday morning.

Email orders and any queries to: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flowers

All home grown flowers raised using an organic approach: the beautiful, field grown tulips are blooming strongly in a whole range of colours from brights to lights while the ranunculus, in a range of gorgeous colours, are just getting into their stride. Geums, astrantia, fresh foliage and quince blossom will be just some of the other ingredients in this week’s seasonal, local bunches and bouquets.

A jam jar of flowers: starts at £6.50

A pickle jar of flowers: £10

Market bunches: £10 – £15

A vase of gift wrapped flowers: starts at £20

For bespoke flowers, please email me.

Tomatoes

These were started later than usual this year because of the cold early Spring and are still in small pots. They are stocky, healthy plants which will grown on very quickly in the coming weeks when it warms up. However, they will need a little extra care: you will need to harden them off completely and wait to plant them outside when there is no danger of frost. It is best to plant them when their first flowers appear. Then they will need regular watering and weekly feeds with either seaweed solution or tomato feed. All tomatoes enjoy sun and can be grown in the ground or in containers in a greenhouse or outdoors in a warm spot. All the varieties below are of the indeterminate kind which means they need support (tying into a bamboo cane) and to have their side shoots removed as they appear. This may seem a lot of bother, but it is worth it for the delicious taste of a home grown tomato.

They are being offered for sale now as I am on holiday until mid May (bad timing for a gardener!). There may be still some available later in May when I get back.

Varieties – each £1.50 a 7cm/9cm/11cm pot

Cocktail Crush:  an excellent UK bred, blight resistant tomato. It produces a heavy crop of cocktail sized tomatoes with a sweet flavour and an slightly acid tang. It is suitable for growing in unheated greenhouses, outdoors or in containers.

Sungold: an absolutely delicious yellow-orange cherry tomato which is very sweet. An all time favourite which can be grown inside under cover or outside.

Chocolate Cherry: is a sweetly flavoured, heavy-cropping purple cherry tomato that ripens to a deep rich cocoa. It appears on fruiting stems of six to eight fruits. This tall and upright tomato is perfect for small growing spaces inside a greenhouse or outside in a a sunny, frost-free spot.

Gardener’s Delight: another all time, favourite cherry tomato.  Trouble-free and prolific with long trusses of richly-flavoured sweet red fruits, it is reliable and easy to grow.

Indigo Rose: all tomatoes are a rich source of important antioxidants and this blue-black tomato variety contains particularly good levels, so they are super-healthy. It is medium sized and is sweetly flavoured.

Stupicke Polni Rane: is an early medium sized red tomato with a wonderful flavour. The potato-leaf plants bear large numbers of very sweet, 2 to 3-inch, deep red fruit. Originally from the Czech Republic, it does well both outdoors and in greenhouses (heated and unheated). It has good blight resistance which is particularly important if growing outdoors.

Black Krim: one of the very best flavoured tomatoes and perhaps my favourite of all (though it is impossible really to pick). It is a large tomato which can be grown in a greenhouse or outdoors. It produces large, ribbed, beefsteak tomatoes with deep red and purple skin and flesh which tastes superb. Highly recommended.

Courgettes

Courgette Romanesco: a delicious courgette with excellent texture which never turns watery, even when quite large. A reliable variety which produces a generous number of courgettes. £1.50 for 9cm/11cm pot

Hardy & Half Hardy Annuals

Strawflower, Apricot mix: a truly lovely strawflower which is wonderful both fresh and dried. This is a warm mix of pretty peach and apricot flowers on long, strong stems. Also known as everlasting flowers, the colour and shape of these papery blooms will last indefinitely when dried. They make an attractive impact in the garden and will flower until the first hard frosts. I have planted mine out and will protect them if there is a hard frost forecast. Strawflowers like to be positioned in full sun, but will tolerate some shade. They can grow to over 3 foot tall. £1.25 a 7cm pot

Ammi majus: a superb annual, bearing dainty white flowers reminiscent of lacework, or a more refined cow parsley, above finely cut fern like leaves . It is a lovely cottage garden plant which adds a light airiness to a garden border. It grows best in well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Allow seeds to develop to save and sow the following year, but if you leave some finches are likely to come to your garden to feast on them in winter. £1.25 a 7cm pot

Cerinthe Major: a lovely unfussy plant which gently self seeds – once planted it will come back again and again. A pretty filler in the border and the vase, its purple bell-like flowers are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. It has attractive silver grey/green leaves which often have a blue wash. It flowers early and long and can grow up to 18 inches. Space plants between 9 & 12 ins apart. They enjoy sun, but do well in almost any position apart from deep shade. £1.25 a 7cm pot; 1.50 a 9cm pot

Nasturtium Black Velvet: a sumptuous, richly dark flowered nasturtium which is great for containers or towards the front of a border. This is a half hardy annual which has been hardened off, but does still protection from frost. It can grow up to 12 inches and has a slightly trailing habit. As well as being beautiful, it is also edible and its flowers and leaves make a delicious (and pretty) addition to salads. £1.25 a 7cm pot.

Violas: dainty, extremely lovely plants which have flowers in a range of pinks, whites and purples. Perfect for containers and for gaps at the front of borders. Extremely hardy, they have been out all Winter and are beginning to flower profusely. With regular dead heading they will continue to do this for months. Once they get straggly towards the end of the season, cut them back and they will regrow strongly. They can also be left to self seed. £1.00 a 7cm pot and £4.00 in a vintage terracotta pot.

Perennials:

Hardy geranium Phaeum: a beautiful and striking hardy perennial which grows to around 18ins in both sun and part shade in any type of soil. Its unusual dark flowers are prolific and if you cut it down to the base after its first flowering in May/June it will flower generously again. £6.50 2 litre pot £3.50 a 1 litre pot & £2.50 a 9cm pot

Campanula Persicifolia, blue: a very reliable and very pretty herbaceous perennial which is much tougher than it looks. It forms clumps from which it sends up straight stems with green, lance-shaped foliage and numerous large, outward facing, rich blue, bell-shaped single flowers providing a long flowering display in summer. An easy to grow plant that tolerates a range of soils and different positions in the garden including light shade. Can be easily divided to create new plants and is also good for beneficial insects. £2.50 a 9cm pot.

Erigeron karvinskianus: a profusion of small daisy-like flowers with a hint of pink. Erigeron, or Mexican fleabane, flowers for months self-sowing generously. A brilliant value plant which adds cheerfulness to any garden. It grows beautifully in containers. £ 5 in an old terracotta pot; £3.50 a 1 litre pot & £2.50 a 9 cm pot

Nepeta Walker’s Low: a magnet for pollinators, it is alive with bees and other beneficial insects for weeks. It has deep violet to lilac-blue summer flowers and aromatic mid-green leaves. This catmint makes an excellent, long-flowering plant for a border. Cut back after its first flush in June, it flowers through to early autumn. Useful as an informal, scented edge for paths. Likes sun, but can tolerate some shade, it grows to around 2 feet tall. £6.50 a 2 litre pot; £3.50 a 1 litre pot and £2.50 a 9cm pot

Please sign up below if you would like to be kept up to date about what is available.

At last it looks as if the weather is set fair for awhile and next week there will be warm temperatures and a rest from the battering rain and winds. This week the stall will be at Sofacoma Market off Lake St with home sown flowers and plants. All are raised on Oxford’s doorstep without the use of pesticides or herbicides in peat free compost. See below for more detail on what’s available.

If you would like to pre-order for pick up at the market or free delivery within 5 miles of Oxford, please email me at: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flowers

Beautiful, bright field grown tulips, the first of the ranunculus, scented narcissi, along with fresh foliage and blossom will be just some of the ingredients in this week’s seasonal, local bunches and bouquets.

Prices:

Jam Jars: £6.00

Pickle Jars: £10.00

Bouquets: start at £15.00 up to £30 gift wrapped

Bouquet in a vase: start at £25.00

Bespoke flowers and flowers for events – just contact me to discuss.

Plants

Annuals:

The first small pots of annuals, grown from seed, priced between £1.00 – £1.50

These are in either 7 or 9cm pots and, apart from the nasturtium, have been hardened off and are ready to plant out now to establish quickly. The nasturtium will need to protecting from frost.

Pictures show what the young plants will look like once in flower.

Strawflower, Apricot mix: a truly lovely strawflower which is wonderful both fresh and dried. This is a warm mix of pretty peach and apricot flowers on long, strong stems. Also known as everlasting flowers, the colour and shape of these papery blooms will last indefinitely when dried. They make an attractive impact in the garden and will flower until the first hard frosts. I am planting mine out next week, but will protect them if there is a hard frost forecast. Strawflowers like to be positioned in full sun, but will tolerate some shade. They can grow to over 3 foot tall. £1.25 a 7cm pot

Ammi majus: a superb annual, bearing dainty white flowers reminiscent of lacework or a more refined cow parsley above finely cut fern like leaves . It is a lovely cottage garden plant which adds a light airiness to a garden border. It grows best in well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Allow seeds to develop to save and sow the following year, but if you leave some finches are likely to come to your garden to feast on them in winter.

Cerinthe Major: a lovely unfussy plant which gently self seeds – once planted it will come back again and again. A pretty filler in the border and the vase, its purple bell-like flowers are a magnet for bees and othe pollinators. It has attractive silvergrey/green leaves which often have a blue wash. It flowers early and long and can grow up to 18 inches. Space plants between 9 & 12 ins apart. They enjoy sun, but do well in almost any position apart from deep shade. £1.25 a 7cm pot; 1.50 a 9cm pot

Nasturtium Black Velvet: a sumptuous, richly dark flowered nasturtium which is great for containers or towards the front of a border. This is a half hardy annual so does need hardening off and protection from frost. It can grow up to 12 inches and has a slightly trailing habit. As well as being beautiful, it is also edible and its flowers and leaves make a delicious (and pretty) addition to salads. £1.25 a 7cm pot.

Violas: dainty, extremely lovely plants which have flowers in a range of pinks, whites and purples. Perfect for containers and for gaps at the front of borders. Extremely hardy, they have been out all Winter and are beginning to flower profusely. With regular dead heading they will continue to do this for months. Once they get straggly towards the end of the season, cut them back and they will regrow strongly. They can also be left to self seed. £1.00 a 7cm pot and £4.00 in a vintage terracotta pot.

There will also be a few pots of sweet peas (the last for this year) £1.50 for 2 sturdy seedlings.

Perennials

All these are also grown by me in peat free compost from either seeds, cuttings or divisions. They are all tough and reliable and suited to local growing conditions.

There will be a range of hardy perennials available in different sized pots. Prices start at £2.50 for a 9cm pot; £3.50 a 1 litre pot and £6.50 a 2 litre pot. A selection of some of the perennials available:

Nepeta Walkers Low: a magnet for pollinators, it is alive with bees and other beneficial insects for weeks. It has deep violet to lilac-blue summer flowers and aromatic mid-green leaves. This catmint makes an excellent, long-flowering plant for a border. Cut back after its first flush in June, it flowers through to early autumn. Useful as an informal, scented edge for paths. Likes sun, but can tolerate some shade, it grows to around 2 feet tall.

Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ : a long flowering,  clump-forming, herbaceous perennial which produces an abundance of upward and outward facing, peachy-orange flowers from late Spring to Autumn. Carried on branched sprays, they rise well above the healthy mound of deep green, slightly fuzzy leaves. It is loved by pollinators and is a wonderful bullet proof plant. It tolerates part shade and flourishes in the clay soil in my garden

Centaurea ‘Jordy’ (Knapweed): another cottage garden favourite and pollinator magnet. Magnificent, deepest plum-purple flowers top upright stems in late spring and early summer above bushy clumps of foliage. Cut back to the ground after flowering and a second flush may appear. Lift and divide large clumps every three years in spring. Likes full sun, but does well on our clay soil in part shade – it probably doesn’t grow up to its full 45cm potential though.

Hardy Geranium (name lost): beautiful, muted dusky pink with copper toned markings on leaves. My favourite hardy geranium which is well behaved and excellent for the front of a border forming a lovely, healthy clump. Once flowered, cut back and it will return for another show of flowers.

Hardy Geranium, Phaeum: a beautiful and striking hardy perennial which grows to around 18ins in both sun and part shade in any type of soil. Its unusual dark flowers are prolific and if you cut it down to the base after its first flowering in May/June it will flower generously again.

Campanula Persicifolia, blue: a very reliable and very pretty herbaceous perennial which is much tougher than it looks. It forms clumps from which it sends up straight stems with green, lance-shaped foliage and numerous large, outward facing, rich blue, bell-shaped single flowers providing a long flowering display in summer. An easy to grow plant that tolerates a range of soils and different positions in the garden including light shade. Can be easily divided to create new plants and is also good for beneficial insects.

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Sunshine and showers and a stop start Spring have made it unusually tricky to predict what the plants and flowers will be doing. To give everything a chance to catch up on growing, I am taking a break from markets until mid April when there should be lots ready including vegetable plants. The greenhouse is now almost full of tomato, courgette and cucumber seedlings which are sharing the shelves with cosmos and a growing number of other half hardy annuals.

Flowers

Meanwhile there are some beautiful home grown flowers ready for orders next week. The first of the ranunculus are just about to burst into bloom along with tulips while the narcissi, daffodils and hellebores are still going strong. If you would like to order a pickle jar or a bouquet for free delivery within 5 miles of Oxford, please email me:

thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flowers Prices:

£10 for a Pickle Jar – at at 20 stems

£20 a gift wrapped bouquet

£25 a gift wrapped bouquet in a vase

Multiple jam jars also available at £6.00 each.

Other size bouquets can be made- just ask.

Deliveries will be on Friday, 7th March & Saturday, 8th March

If you would like to keep up to date with what is available each week, please sign up below.

The weather continues to be frustrating and this year Spring almost seems to be on pause, but there will be some plants with hopeful bunches, bouquets and pots of bright, seasonal flowers for next weekend. These can either be delivered to your door from 17th March to 19th March or can be picked up from the Wolvercote Community Market in the White Hart Community Pub between 10.00am and midday on the 19th.

If you would like to treat someone or yourself, please email pre-orders to me by Friday evening.

thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Delivery is free for orders of £10 or over within 5 miles of Oxford. Payment is via BACS, cash or contactless.

Flower Orders: each bunch or bouquet will contain a mixture of lovely Spring flowers and foliage grown by me supplemented with flowers from other local and British growers chosen for their sustainable approach. As well as the jars and bunches, bespoke bouquets can be made too – just ask. Smaller jars of flowers will be available at the market.

Flower Prices:

Pickle Jar: £10 (at least 20 stems)

Wrapped Bouquet: £20 (at least 30 stems)

Wrapped bouquet in a vase: £25.00

There will be jam jar posies available at the Market starting at £6 each

If you would like to order a larger bouquet, they are also available if pre-ordered.

Plants at the Market: below is a selection of the plants available at the market.

Hardy Geranium Bill Wallis: one of the most cheerful and tough plants in my garden. It thrives in all sorts of conditions and gently self seeds. Its pretty purple flowers are long lasting and give a lovely cottage garden feel. Good for the front of a border or filling in gaps. £3.00 a 1 litre pot

Homesown Sweet Pea Plants: these are grown from seed saved from my favourite varieties chosen for their amazing scent and colour. The seedlings tolerate down to -5 so once they germinated, they were left outside to harden up. If the weather is particularly brutal, they might need a little protection. Prepare the soil to help water retention and plant out from start of March when weather is hospitable. Plant each pot around 8″ apart. Sweetpeas like to be well watered and prefer sun. They will need support to clamber up and regular picking to keep them flowering. They are the most generous of flowering annuals, but do need quite a lot of attention. I think it is worth it for the scent alone. £1.50 a 9cm pot of 3 seedlings.

Named Sweet Pea Varieties: Prince Edward of York, Matacuna, Albutt Blue, Piggy Sue, Jimmy Shand and Bristol Cream among others – all chosen for their wonderful scent and strong flowers. £1.50 a pot of 2 seedlings.

Hardy Geranium Phaeum: : a beautiful and striking hardy perennial which grows to around 18ins in both sun and part shade in any type of soil. Its unusual dark flowers are prolific and if you cut it down to the base after its first flowering in May/June it will flower generously again. £2.50 for 9cm pot – £5.00 for 2 litre pot

If you would like to know what’s available each week, please add your email below.

Although the bulbs are confident it is Spring as they push up into the light, the weather is determinedly wintery with snow this week. The plants are growing slowly in their pots and there will be just a few ready for this weekend’s Sofacoma Market on the 12th and a week later at Wolvercote Community Market.

Flowers:

Flower Orders: these can be made now for this weekend (12th March) and for Mothers’ Day (19th March). Each bunch or bouquet will contain a mixture of lovely Spring flowers and foliage grown by me supplemented with flowers from other local and British growers chosen for their sustainable approach. As well as the jars and bunches, bespoke bouquets can be made too – just ask. Smaller jars of flowers will be available at the market.There will only be a limited number available, particularly for Mothers’ day on the 19th March so please email me to place an order in advance if possible. Flowers are delivered free within 5 miles of Oxford with a minimum order of £10 or can be collected from the market. Payment is via BACS, cash or contactless card.

Email: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flower Prices:

Pickle pot of flowers: £10

Wrapped bouquet: £20

Bouquet in a vase: £25

There will be smaller jam jars of flowers available for £6 at the markets. If you would like more than one of these delivered, please let me know.

Plants:

There are some plants this weekend and hopefully more to follow next. These include:

Bill Wallis hardy geranium: one of the most cheerful and tough plants in my garden. It thrives in all sorts of conditions and gently self seeds. Its pretty purple flowers are long lasting and give a lovely cottage garden feel. Good for the front of a border or filling in the gaps. £3.00 a 1 litre pot

Homesown Sweetpea Mix: these are grown from seed saved from my favourite varieties chosen for their amazing scent and colour. The seedlings tolerate down to -5 so once they germinated, they were left outside to harden up. If the weather is particularly brutal, they might need a little protection. Prepare the soil to help water retention and plant out from start of March when weather is hospitable. Plant each pot around 8″ apart. Sweetpeas like to be well watered and prefer sun. They will need support to clamber up and regular picking to keep them flowering. They are the most generous of flowering annuals, but do need quite a lot of attention. I think it is worth it for the scent alone. £1.50 a 9cm pot of 3 seedlings.

Named Sweetpea Varieties: Prince Edward of York, Matacuna, Albutt Blue, Piggy Sue and Bristol among others – all chosen for their wonderful scent and strong flowers. £1.50 a pot of 2 seedlings.

Primroses in old terracotta pots: simple and beautiful to enjoy close up and a great present: starting at £5.00 a pot

Today the world outside my window is looking completely beautiful with a white frost icing the trees and the sun’s light adding extra loveliness. Everything is frozen as hard as metal, but thankfully most things in the garden will spring back into growth when the weather warms up this week.

Next Sunday, 29th January, I will be at the Wolvercote Commumity Market at the White Hart pub with a small stall. There will be a selection of Spring bulbs for sale: some, like the fragrant paperwhite narcissi and hyacinths are best kept inside to make you smile and enjoy their colour and heady scent close up, while others such as the iris reticulata, snowdrops, dwarf narcissi and crocus can be enjoyed inside or out. All these bulbs (apart from the paperwhites) will come back and can be placed in their pots /planted outside once they have flowered to brighten up late Winter/early Spring again next year.

This is likely to be the only market for the plant stall until March and some of the bulbs have a little growing to do before flowering. For me that’s part of the pleasure of having them and you can speed them up by bringing them in to the warmth or leave them outside to develop in their own time. The delicate looking iris reticulata, crocus and dwarf narcissi are extremely tough and will survive the very worst of the weather outside while offering much needed food for early pollinators.

Here’s a sample of what will be on the stall this Sunday:

Spring Bulbs in Pots:

Scented indoor paper white Narcissus, Ziva and Inbal; scented hyacinths; iris reticulata, Alida, Purple Hill and George; dwarf narcissi, Artic Bells and Golden Bells and crocus Prins Claus and others too.

The bulbs come planted in peatfree compost in a range of different sized pots including old terracotta, metal and plastic. Each pot is individually priced from £1.50 for individual bulbs in plastic pots to £12.00 for a collection of bulbs in a pot.

All pots can be returned to me for reuse if not needed.

There will also be cheering violas for sale. Grown from home gathered seed in small pots last Autumn they have kept going through all weathers. Deep frost makes their heads droop, but they immediately recover their spring in the thaw. They are ideal for outdoor containers and window boxes and will give beautiful splashes of colour for months. In shades of purple and blues so far. 7cm pot: £1

Over the next few days, I will be making the last of the sustainable fresh wreaths. Each is handmade and individual and all are decorated with local homegrown flowers and garden foliage as well as lightly foraged ingredients. Made on a moss base, they will last for weeks.

If you would like to order a fresh wreath, please contact me by 11th December at the latest as there are a limited number available. Delivery is free within 5 miles of Oxford and payment can be made in cash or by BACS.

Contact me at: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Fresh wreaths on 10 inch frames are £15 each

Fresh wreaths on 12 inch frames are £20 each

Fresh wreaths on 14 inch frames are £25

There is still time to order a lovely, local handmade wreath decorated with homegrown flowers, foliage and lightly foraged ingredients. Fresh wreaths are made on a moss base and will last for weeks if kept damp while dried everlasting wreaths will last for years if kept dry. If you would like to make your own fresh wreath, moss bases and a starter kit are available too. Wreaths can be ordered for delivery up to 11th December.

Each wreath is different and if you would like to choose one in person, there will be a variety to choose from at Sofacoma Market, just off Lake St in Oxford this Sunday, 4th December.

There will also be fragrant paperwhite narcissus, hyacinths and iris reticulata in pots which make great gifts (for yourself or other people).

Pre-orders for pick up at the market or for free delivery within 6 miles of Oxford can be made by contacting me at: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Payment can be made in cash or by BACS.

Fresh Wreaths

Fresh wreaths on 12 inch frames are £20 each

Fresh wreaths on 10 inch frames are £15 each

Fresh wreaths on 14 inch frames are £25

If you are interested in making your own fresh wreath, you can buy a starter kit for £10

The starter kit contains: a mossed wreath base, a mix of foliage to get you started and some mossing pins. Instructions for how to make a wreath from scratch, starting from the wire base, are on the website. https://thedevelopingplot.com/how-to-make-a-mossed-wreath-base/

Everlasting Wreaths

There will be a small selection of dried wreaths at Sofacoma Market this Sunday. These are handmade by me and the flowers and foliage were grown on my plot.

Over the next few weeks (until they run out), you can order a local handmade wreath decorated with homegrown flowers, foliage and lightly foraged ingredients. Fresh wreaths are made on a moss base and will last for weeks if kept damp while dried everlasting wreaths will last for years if kept dry. If you would like to make your own, moss bases and a starter kit are available too.

Each wreath is different and if you would like to choose one in person, there will be a variety to choose from at Sofacoma Market, just off Lake St in Oxford this Sunday, 27th November and for the following two weeks.

Pre-orders for pick up at the market or for free delivery within 6 miles of Oxford can be made by contacting me at: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Fresh wreaths on 12 inch frames are £20 each

Fresh wreaths on 10 inch frames are £15 each

Fresh wreaths on 14 inch frames are £25

If you are interested in making your own wreath, you can buy a starter kit for £10

The starter kit contains: a mossed wreath base, a mix of foliage to get you started and some mossing pins. Instructions for how to make a wreath from scratch, starting from the wire base, are on the website. https://thedevelopingplot.com/how-to-make-a-mossed-wreath-base/